Last Thursday 7th of October the Walking Group walked from the Brazilian residence to Beton Hala and Kalemegdan Park, and finally to lunch at BAD Sushi (Belgrade Asian Dining). We walked about 7km, burned 600 calories, and walked 9000 steps. The weather was cloudy, windy and it was 13 degrees Celsius. But with the wind it felt colder. It was a good thing that we dressed warmly. There is a wonderful Norwegian saying, “There is no bad weather, only bad clothes!” - and we wholeheartedly agree with this. Actually, walking in the winter can be especially good for our health - we burn more calories, and the cooler temperatures boost our brain, rejuvenate our skin, and relieve stress. These are exactly what our ladies in the Walking Group are aiming for.  

It was a fun walk. We came across some romantic graffiti and some childish scrawls of Partizan and Red Star. Not all football graffiti is terrible though, as we discovered there are some delightful murals to be seen. Our walk this time was especially entertaining as our Irish member gave us a short history of the urban neighborhood Dorćol; Gornji (upper) and Donji (lower). We walked and chatted about the charm of this part of Belgrade. We admired the buildings from the Ottoman period in addition to the only mosque that remains in Dorćol. This is the Bajrakli Mosque, situated just a stone’s throw away from Meduza.  

Walking along the Danube and Sava rivers was colder than walking in town. It was extra windy (there were whitecaps on the water!) and we were nearly blown away - or at least we pretended we were being blown away. During this walk, we laughed and learned more about each other; a bond is created during these walks, connection and the sharing of experiences. We even exchanged different artifacts of our cultures too, like the Asian heart ❤️ hand sign vs. the western one. Truthfully, walking in a group significantly reduces loneliness and isolation especially during this pandemic. Not to mention that sharing a walk made us focus less on the physical exertion as we chatted away.

Our last stop was for lunch at BAD Sushi, a cozy new Asian restaurant around the corner from Hilandarksa street. We had a big crowd for lunch - eleven of us enjoyed the tasty sushi rolls, salad, soup, and tempura. If you’re a sushi lover, we highly recommend this spot.